Veteran advocates meet to improve Military Transition (2024)

Nearly 300 Veteran advocates, leaders and community members representing more than a hundred Veteran organizations met in Dayton, Ohio, to improve the experience for transitioning service members. VetResources Community Network (VRCN)holds quarterly and national convenings aimed at improving outcomes for Veterans and their families.

VRCN is VA’s front door for community and non-profit collaboration, working regularly with more than 600 outreach partners on issues from Veteran Transition, gaming, employment, outreach and more.

Transitioning from military to civilian life can be a cause for celebration, but for many Veterans it can be the great unknown. Life changes fast, from translating military-specific skills to a career, adjusting to civilian culture, to even the basics of where to live and receive health care. All while hopefully staying connected to their military and now Veteran support network.

This year’s VRCN National Convening was held at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and hosted in collaboration with VA’s first ever Community Catalyst Award. The Greater Miami Valley myVeteran Community, Dayton’s Community Veteran Engagement Board (CVEB), was chosen for this award as an active, scalable, community engagement example of excellence.

“From the very beginning of our CVEB days in the Dayton Region in 2015, we built collective impact into everything we do.Our CVEB team is part of a well-oiled machine delivering the best services that we can to our Veterans and spouses across the region.Our many Veteran Serving Organizations don’t compete with each other; we complement and amplify each other’s work for the betterment of our community and all of our regional Veterans,” said Miami Valley MyVeteran Community Founder and chair Cassie Barlow.

Dayton is also home to the future National VA History Museumlocated on the historic Dayton VA campus. Convening participants had a chance to tour the campus and learn more about VA’s history from VA’s Chief Historian Michael Visconage.

The convening was a snapshot of what VRCN does best—gathering the Veteran serving community under one roof to intensify its impact and outcomes for Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors. Attendees heard from VA senior leaders VA Deputy Secretary Tanya Bradsher and VA Chief Veterans Experience Officer John Boerstler, along with senior leaders from Department of Defense Ashish S. Vazirani, acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; and Department of Labor James D. Rodriguez, assistant secretary for Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), which focuses on personnel readiness and employment services. The convening also included hands-on table-top solutioning exercises and cross-agency chats.

Constantly evolving from past event attendee feedback, the convenings shift to have more of an impact on specific Veteran challenges. One participant remarked, “I attended theVeterans Affairs 2024 Annual National VetResources Community Network Convening last week. I wanted to let you know I really enjoyed all the sessions. It was one of the most open and collaborative conferences I’ve attended, and that was so refreshing.”

VA’s Veterans Experience Officeleads VRCN and any Veteran-focused organization may request to join. Learn more about the VRCN,partnerships, outreach efforts, upcoming community engagement events and how to join.